(a) Field of the Invention
Broadly speaking, this invention relates to a gear reducer. More particularly, in a preferred embodiment, this invention relates to a gear reducer which is reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to fabricate and which is resistant to axial and radial loads on the input and output shafts.
(b) Discussion of the Prior Art
Many engineering applications require a gear reducer which can be coupled to a variety of motors and accommodate a number of different output shafts. Such a gear reducer should be capable of pounding several different gear reductions, e.g. 10:1, 20:1, 40:1 et cetera.
Unfortunately, in the prior art, such devices were difficult and expensive to manufacture and subject to excessive wear and failure due to the inability of the input and output shafts to resist axial and radial loading.